Bag a holiday bargain on an online auction

Want to go on holiday, but don’t have a lot of money? Don’t worry. Travel companies want you to go on holiday too, and they don’t have a lot of customers. Which means one thing: discounts. Increasingly, they’re resorting to under-the-radar methods such as online auctions to shift unsold packages.

The luxury specialist Abercrombie & Kent is the latest to reach for the hammer to tempt those on tight budgets to part with their cash. (...)

Roomauction.com
For UK hotels

This one has about 200 hotels and self-catering cottages in the UK, including the Adelphi, in Liverpool, which has a rack rate of £119, and the Fallen Angel, in Durham, a five-star restaurant with rooms, where the usual rate is £150; a handful of American properties; and a random assortment elsewhere, including that well-known tourist trap?... Gdansk. It acts as an interface, so your transaction is direct with the property, with no booking or registration fee. You can bid as low as 50% of the rack rate (although the site reckons most savings are between 25% and 35%) and you should hear whether your offer has been accepted within 48 hours. Tip: bid at the last minute, when hoteliers are more anxious to fill rooms. You’ll increase your chances of a weekend room if you’re able to spend Sunday night too and offer to eat in house one night.